Electric Guitar Tuning

For some players, electric guitar tuning is simpler than acoustic guitar tuning. After all, there are a few additional ways to tune an electric guitar over the handful of ways you can tune an acoustic guitar. In addition to Internet or computer based tuners, there are tuners that can be plugged directly into the rig itself that make electric guitar tuning that much easier.

There are three main ways to tune an electric guitar:

1. Using a plug-in tuner
2. Using a portable tuner
3. Using an Internet or computer based tonal tuner

While there are other ways to tune an electric guitar (such as using your ears without any assistance), these three methods are generally the most used.

Using a plug-in tuner to tune an electric guitar is perhaps one of the easiest ways to tune it. The first step is to use a guitar cable (the cable you use to plug your guitar into the amplifier) to connect the tuner to the guitar. One end will go in the guitar and the other will go in the tuner.

Pluck one of the strings. Most tuners of this nature will have the letters for all six string notes in standard tuning. Next to the letters you'll find a light that corresponds to that note. When the string is plucked, the light next to the note that is being played will light up. If that is the correct note for that string, good work! If it is not, you will need to loosen or tighten the string's tension. Some tuners will even tell you if the note is too sharp or flat and save you the effort of figuring it out. To flatten a note that is too sharp, loosen the tension of the string. To sharpen a note that is too flat, tighten the string.

Continue to pluck at each string until all of the strings are in tune. Once this is done, take the wire from the tuner, plug it into your amplifier and jam out.

Much like using a tuner that you can plug the guitar into, portable tuners work in a similar way. The only difference is that the tuner is not connected to the guitar. Instead, it is placed near where the string is plucked and a small microphone picks up the sound. One of the best ways to do this is to place the tuner on your lap or on a table that is not much higher than your lap. Keep the guitar propped on your leg and strum the same way you would with a plug-in tuner.

Keep in mind that the tuner may sometimes record an inaccurate reading if it is too far from the strings. Be sure to prevent this by staying close to the device.

The main difference between a portable or plug-in tuner and an Internet or computer based one is the amount of effort required from you to use the device. Many Internet tuners require a player to listen to a note, pluck the corresponding string on her guitar and tune the string to match perfectly. This can be difficult a novice player, but it can also be a great way to build your ability to hear tone.

It takes practice to learn how to tune a guitar this way. The goal is to make the sounds match. Continue to tune your guitar sharper and flatter while trying to zero in on the right pitch. If you run into trouble, move on to tuning another string. Once you have done this, try to tune your guitar to the other strings on your guitar rather than to the computer.

No matter which method of guitar tuning you are interested in, tuning an electric guitar is much like learning to play. The more that you practice tuning, the better you will become. If you have a lot of trouble tuning your own guitar, try to find a friend or reputable guitar shop that can help you move past the hurdle.

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